


Anastasis

by Kanceir



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, F/M, It Gets Better, Kidnapping, M/M, Original Character-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Relationships May Change, androgynous character, hopefully, sad beginning, there's an immortality elixir thing involved but i just needed something to excuse eisuke's age tbh, transgender character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-18 22:12:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7332655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kanceir/pseuds/Kanceir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eighty years have passed since the destruction of the Dresden Slate.<br/>Anna Kushina and her devoted, former Usagi attendant, Eisuke, are the last remnants of the trials that occurred in Shizume all those years ago, and for a time it seems that they will fade away peacefully with those memories. However, when Kings suddenly start appearing once more, everything changes. History repeats itself in the worst of ways, and the story that was once thought to have ended goes on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blossom.

    A frail, aged woman sat in a softly-rocking chair by a large window that offered an elegiac view of city lights in the distance, far below the mountain her house was built on. In the dimly-lit room, only the moonlight shone through the window, but even that was just enough to illuminate the stark white hair and blood red eyes of the old woman. Of course, the former was hardly notable for her age, but it had been that way her entire life, and now cascaded down her back and onto the floor beside her chair. It hadn't been cut in years.

    "Ei-suke..." the woman breathed, voice worn.

    A man that had been looming behind her now knelt by her side, golden rabbit mask catching the light of the moon as he inclined his head. The woman moved a shaky hand from her lap, and a far more youthful hand lifted to meet hers, oversized cloth falling down his arm.

    "I feel..." the woman began, trailing off as her bony thumb moved across the man's hand. Then a strained gasp escaped her, and the man was on his feet in an instant, holding her face with his other hand as he looked into those red eyes for some sign of distress. Instead, what he found was the gleam of awe, the glassy scarlet now alight with a _fire_ he had not seen for quite some time. "My marble...my..."

    She needn't ask twice, for the transparent sphere was pressed into her hand the moment the words left her lips. Slowly, ever so slowly, she lifted it to an eye, and as the man stared back at her through the red glass, he saw again the eyes of a young girl who had once been so full of life and vigor.

~~x x x~~

    Ronan squealed as she spun in place, arms flinging out wide as her flowery, layered pink and black dress bounced and swirled around her hips.

    "Just _look_ at this place! It's so _big_! And shiny!" She looked around at her surroundings in wide-eyed wonder, fixated on getting up close to every unfamiliar thing she saw as her ashen-haired companion trudged along behind her, doubled over with suitcases.

    "Yes, yes, it's all very--guh!--brilliant. Now, where did you say that estate was?" Jasper asked, doing his damnedest to keep the luggage from dragging on the ground. Who knew what foreign bacteria these sidewalks contained?

    "Oh, right." Ronan paused to pull a paper from her purse and read off the information. "Off the coast of Shizume to a place called Ashinaka Island. The school there will be housing us," she said with a nod. Jasper paused, blinking.

    "You mean there's no--no mansion or-or even a vacation house?" he asked, jaw slack. Ronan shook her head with far too big a smile.

    "Nope! We're here to get the full experience, Jaspies!"

    "M-My Lady..."

    "Right, right, _Mr. Piers_ ," Ronan corrected with a roll of her eyes.

    "No, that's not--My Lady, mere school housing can hardly be satisfactory for protecting a woman of your status. Ah, with all due respect of course, might I suggest we contact the Prime Minister and see about--"

    "No!" Ronan stood right in front of him now, gloved hands on her hips and lips set in that stubborn way that Jasper just knew wasn't going to change until he conceded. He slumped with a sigh.

    "Right, sorry, My Lady. Shall we continue to our...lodgings, then?" he suggested, managing a weak smile. Ronan returned one in full.

    "That's the spirit! Oh, I simply can't wait, Jaspies! This is going to be the best two months ever!"

    Jasper would beg to differ.

* * *

    The trip to the island was hell in itself. They had to take a _train_ , surrounded by strangers and students, and even for his talents, Jasper couldn't help but be on guard the entire ride, hands ready to strike at a moment's notice. Fortunately, there was no need. Ronan managed to become very popular with the student body, effectively awing them with her foreign accent but fluent Japanese (thanks to him) and all sorts of lavish tales about her life as a noblewoman of England. If nothing else, they might be able to call upon these infatuated school-goers as makeshift bodyguards if worse came to worst. Jasper was not above such a thing if it became necessary.

    The principal welcomed them warmly enough and showed them to their room, which was on a floor that had been cleared for the time that they would be staying there. He assured them that personnel would be stationed at the entrances and by the room door if they so wished, which Jasper confirmed that they did. He decided that the school would be safe enough, considering it was on an island, and the only official transport was by a train that IDed all passengers before boarding and leaving the station. The principal told him that extra measures had been put in place to ensure the safety of the students on the island since an incident many years ago that involved an infiltration of sorts. The news didn't exactly comfort Jasper, but he would just have to trust that those measures had been taken to their full capacity.

    Ronan fell backwards onto the unmade bed with an airy sigh, arms spread outwards as her dyed-ombre black and purple curls splayed around her head. Jasper tucked all of the luggage into a corner to deal with later, sparing a moment to stretch his back at long last.

    "Shall I go to the market for ingredients to prepare supper?" he asked, observing his mistress's happy-drunk state. At the mention of food, however, she sprang up, tapping a delicate finger to her chin.

    "Hmmm... No. I want to eat out today!" she said with a grin. Jasper's eyebrows creased.

    "My Lady, you've been walking about all day. Surely you'd rather rest here while I--" He stopped as Ronan hopped off of the mattress and patted his cheek softly.

    "You worry too much. We'll unpack and then we'll go out to eat," she said with a gentle smile. Jasper sighed, shoulders slumping.

    "Of course, My Lady."

* * *

    As it turned out, eating out that night wasn't so bad. It certainly did Jasper's back a favour in the long run, and Ronan enjoyed the local cuisines, insisting on tasting half the menu and making the restaurant owners very happy. Luckily, Jasper was able to dissuade her from trying any of the more risky foods that he knew for a fact wouldn't be good for her unaccustomed immune and digestive systems, but he didn't miss the way she discreetly wrapped up a few bits of sushi and tucked them away into her purse. He allowed it, but mentally prepared to be on bathroom duty at some point that night.

    They also managed to do some sightseeing on the way back to the island, observing some of the cultural traditions around this time of year. Jasper took pictures for the scrapbook Ronan wanted to compile during their visit, ensuring that each photo was of prime quality and captured the most important moments.

    The rest of the evening was spent without any unfortunate happenstances. That is, until they reached the train station.

    They were preparing the board along with other students who had spent the night out for the small festivities when Ronan stopped walking beside Jasper. The butler turned back to her, a hand finding her elbow on impulse as concern immediately filled his pale blue eyes at the sight of her disgruntled expression.

    "My lady?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her and disregarding the looks others were giving them as they passed. Vaguely he noted a few of Ronan's first interlocutors she'd met on the train hovering about, but he just wished they would all go away.

    "I feel..." Ronan started, blinking as she shook her head. Then she turned her gaze upward, roseate eyes searching, yet finding nothing but the clear, star-spangled sky overhead. In the next moment she was falling, and Jasper's arms were around her in an instant. He shook her gently, mindful of her fragile body.

    "My Lady!" he said, drawing more unwanted attention. However, he along with everyone else stopped as Ronan's body began to take on a soft, pale pink glow. Jasper's eyes widened, and at the shriek of a student pointing up, his gaze followed to find a mass forming in the sky just above them. It began as a thin spiral of the same hue that encased Ronan, but it glowed much more brightly. Reaching its peak as a giant, cone-like shape, the gaps were filled and it seemed to solidify into a smooth, metallic object. And then it shattered into a million pieces that appeared to fade into the stars in the sky, leaving behind a black sword, almost mechanical in structure, floating in the sky.

    Jasper couldn't make his body move. His mind screamed _"run"_ , get away from the looming mass that could easily fall from its invisible perch at any moment, but he was frozen. He was a butler, dammit, what was he supposed to do?! He was more than prepared to fend off immoral bandits who often came after Ronan and her fortune, but this was on an entirely different spectrum. How was he to even _begin_ to defend against something like this? Did he even _need_ to defend?

    "What the bloody hell is going--!"

    A shadow overcame him then, and he turned to find a masked man standing over them. Jasper leapt backwards, turning his body to shield Ronan's as he held her in his arms.

    "Sir, I would like you to come with me," the man said. His arms moved, and Jasper tensed, ready to fight or flee, but he paused as the man simply revealed unarmed hands under long sleeves. "I want to help you," he said, pointing up. Jasper spared another glance at the giant sword in the sky, then turned back to the man, eyes narrowing. "Please."

    Any other day, Jasper would have told the man to sod off and taken Ronan somewhere he knew was safe, but for some illogical reason, he trusted this man. Maybe it was because of the golden bunny mask he wore (which was super cute, but that was for another time), but either way Jasper found himself following the man away from the train station and out of the crowd of gawking students. Really, didn't they have somewhere to be?

    They ran, and Jasper thanked the deities for his years of physical training prior to becoming Ronan's butler. Even so, he found himself out of breath and his arms shaking by the time they reached a house midway up a relatively small mountainside--he didn't stop to wonder why someone would be living all the way out here--and he regretted not having stretched more after being relieved of the luggage he'd toted all the way to the school island. Once they had left the general vicinity of the city, Ronan's body stopped glowing, and a glance upward confirmed that the sword had disappeared as well.

    It was a traditional but quaint home, and Jasper had just enough mind to toe off his shoes before he went farther into the house. The masked man brought them to a room with a large window and a single rocking chair just beside it, in which a hunched lump of an elderly woman sat. The man took his place next to her, and Jasper thought that he must be in a position to the woman akin to his own to Ronan. The man leaned down to whisper to the woman, and Jasper couldn't help but stare as scarlet eyes opened to meet his. He was used to the odd colouration of his mistress's, but he'd never seen another person with such vibrant and strange eyes.

    "Colourless..." the woman whispered just loud enough for Jasper to hear. As if on cue, he felt Ronan stir in his arms, and he dropped to his knees in case she should have a fit and fall, lifting one hand to caress her face as her eyes slowly blinked open.

    "Jaspies...?" She reached out for him, and he took her hand without missing a beat, returning the small smile that tugged at her lips. "What happened? Did I fall asleep on the train...?" she asked, trailing off as she looked around. Finally she found the two people by the window, and she sat up, bringing a hand to her head. "Who are you? Why are we here?" she asked, turning back to Jasper. He opened his mouth to answer, but didn't get the chance to.

    "You have become the Colourless King," the masked man said, regaining their attentions. Both sets of brows furrowed at this.

    "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand," Ronan said, and then she giggled softly. "If anything, I'd be a queen, silly."

    The man cleared his throat. "This particular title isn't bound by gender roles. A King is born of the Dresden Slate, a rock formation that was discovered almost two centuries ago in Germany. It possessed the ability to gift human beings with special powers, some bound by a sanctum and some not. Those who are bound by a sanctum are called Kings, of which there are seven known colours."

    "Wait--wait, slow down," Ronan said, pulling from Jasper's arms to wobble to her feet. The butler stood and caught her elbow to steady her. "A big rock with magical powers? I adore magic tricks, but isn't that a tad rubbish?"

    The old woman lifted a hand, and again Jasper tensed, and in her palm sparked a rich red flame that looked nothing like traditional fire. Jasper pulled a dagger from his coat pocket, but that was as far as he got. In the blink of an eye, he was up against the wall, head snapping back painfully as he grunted. Once his vision refocused, he found that the masked man had him pinned, and he gulped as he felt the cold touch of his own blade against his throat. How did this guy move so fast...?

    "Eisuke," the woman said. Without further prompting, the man named Eisuke released Jasper, and he fell to his knees with a cough as air returned to lungs he hadn't even registered were being deprived. He could feel a throb over his diaphragm where Eisuke must have been pressing, and for a moment Jasper could only stare wide-eyed at the ground. He'd been made so useless in _seconds_. This man--he looked back up as Eisuke calmly returned to the old woman's side--this man could kill him before he even knew what was going on. The thought made his heart race.

    "My apologies," Eisuke said with a low bow. The woman chuckled hoarsely, the flame disappearing from her palm as she used her hand to cover the coughing fit that followed.

    "I'm sor-ry, I should have warned you," she managed afterwards. "That--this," she reproduced the too-red flame, "is the power the Slate has given me. But I have not had this power for many--" she coughed again, "years. It was taken from me as quickly as it was given when I was just a girl." She spoke slowly and wistfully and without any hint of aged dementia. Then again, Jasper couldn't exactly pin any of this talk on insanity after what he'd just witnessed.

    "Anna." Eisuke put a hand on the woman's--Anna's--shoulder, and she nodded. "Eighty years ago, the Dresden Slate was destroyed," he said. Jasper, just getting to his feet, blinked.

    "But I thought you said--"

    "I did." Eisuke nodded. "Somehow, the Slate's influence has returned, as exemplified by Anna and the girl." He gestured to Ronan. "The only explanation I can offer is that somehow a portion of the Slate survived the destruction, although how just a portion could cause this is baffling." He sighed. "Either way, the responsibility of being a King is immeasurable. While you have a unique power at your fingertips, there is a consequence if you abuse that power. The sword that you saw," Jasper grimaced at the memory, "is called a Sword of Damocles. Each King has one that looms over their head in the sky when their sanctum is active. Even Anna, the Red King." The hand still on the woman's shoulder squeezed gently, and Anna smiled, lifting her own to cover it.

    "If a King uses too much of that power, the Sword will fall and slaughter thousands," Anna said, smile fading. Jasper's and Ronan's breath hitched simultaneously.

    "It is called a Damocles Down. If a Sword is allowed to fall without intervention, it will explode and destroy everything around it within miles. The Kugutsu Crater I'm sure you're familiar with," they nodded, "was caused by one."

    Jasper stepped forward. "How do you stop that from happening? How do you stop a giant sword once it starts falling?" He didn't want to imagine what might happen if Ronan's Sword of Damocles fell; he wasn't even sure if she could _control_ her power, whatever it was.

    Both Eisuke and Anna turned their heads away.

    "Tell me!" Jasper demanded.

    "The only way to stop a Damocles Down once it has begun is to kill the King," Eisuke said finally.

    The room was deathly quiet for a long time.

    After a moment, Eisuke sighed and turned back to them. "Additionally, a King can only be killed by another King. As far as we know, you and Anna are the only two in existence," he said, nodding to Ronan.

    Jasper only noticed then how badly Ronan was shaking, eyes plastered wide. He moved to try to comfort her, but Anna spoke then.

    "Come here, girl," she said, lifting a frail hand to beckon Ronan. She blinked, stilling as she glanced at Jasper, who could only offer the concern in his eyes. With small, quiet steps, she made her way over to Anna, taking her hand and releasing a small breath.

    "You're so warm," she said. Anna smiled.

    "This power you have is yours to do with as you wish," Anna said. "It can be used for destruction, or protection. This red inside me," she lifted her other hand to her chest, just over her heart, "was given to me to protect. It holds the bonds I used to share." She squeezed Ronan's hand softly before letting it go. "Use your power to create bonds like those. Use it to protect the ones you love." Her eyes drifted over to Jasper, who straightened. "Use it to make people happy. My red...was supposed to fade long ago. I'm just glad...I got to see it...one last time..." Her eyes began to glaze over. "Mikoto..."

    There was a beat of silence that followed as Anna's eyes fell closed, and Ronan stumbled backward a few steps before turning and running to Jasper, flinging her arms around him as he did the same, soothing her shudders as she sniffled. Eisuke stood by Anna's side for a moment longer, head bowed, and Jasper got the feeling that if it weren't for that mask, he'd be crying.

    "Please go back now," Eisuke said, voice low and controlled. Jasper nodded, inclining his head respectfully as he guided Ronan away. He spared one last glance over his shoulder before they left the room, watching Eisuke drop to his knees beside Anna's lifeless body and take her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> boy shit i die
> 
> absolutely let me know what you think of this because i'm hella hype for this and i'm going to continue it anyway but it's nice to know if people like it lol


	2. Butterfly.

A small cloud of dust curled around the toe of a boot as debris skidded across the floor. Atsuya walked with his hands in his pockets, looking around at the abandoned building he'd wandered into. It looked like it used to be important, what with the huge gates and wall surrounding the place, but now everything was shrouded with tarps and covered in dust. The computers he'd found in one room were clearly outdated, and a test run confirmed that electricity didn't run to this place anymore. Even so, he'd found a whole section of the building with bedrooms and working toilets and showers. Atsuya thought that he could stay here for a while, at least until some official found him and kicked him out. No doubt they were scouring the city to make sure his homeless ass didn't get to freeload somewhere. With any luck, though, they might have already checked this place.

Now he was just checking out the building. There were three floors; even if officials did come to search, there were plenty of hiding places. He found what looked to be training grounds in a courtyard of sorts behind the building, and tons of swords in a store room, but he couldn't get any of them out of their holsters, so they were kind of useless.

On the top floor, he found an office. Big, cushy chair and sturdy desk--someone really important must have run this place. It even had a small traditional tea corner. He'd only ever seen stuff like that in old movies. A brief rummage produced a worn mortar and char and a fancy tea set, clearly of much higher class than the dishes he found in the mess hall, but still extremely old. It was a wonder they didn't shatter in his hands. Unfortunately, there was no actual tea left over to make, so he just slumped into the desk chair with a sigh. He sorted through the drawers of the desk to find they were mostly empty, save for a few papers with faded ink he didn't care to read and, to his surprise, jigsaw puzzles. He smiled a little. Even big-shots who ran important places like this had to get bored sometimes, he guessed.

He busied himself with one of the puzzles for a while until he heard a noise outside. He tensed at first, but quickly ducked under the desk, cursing himself. He shouldn't have wasted time here--there were no good hiding places. If the officials came in here, he would get dragged out and thrown back to the streets for sure. He squeezed his eyes shut and actually prayed, prayed instead of crying like he wanted to. He'd spent most of his life on the streets, dammit. He shouldn't have to run around and hide like this, but no one would hire a street rat so how the hell was he supposed to afford a place of his own?

The door creaked open, and Atsuya clenched his fists, biting down on his lip.

_ Please don't look under here, please don't look under here, please don't look under here... _

A head popped into view from above the desk and Atsuya shrieked.

The face disappeared again and he heard a thump before the laughter reached his ears, and after a moment to regain himself, Atsuya crawled out from under the desk, stumbling to his feet, ready to run, but he stopped at the sight that met his eyes.

A man who looked to be around his age was actually rolling on the floor laughing his ass right off. He had messy, dirty blond hair and wore the clothes of a grade-A douchebag (that was to say, an unbuttoned vest over his T-shirt and lots of unnecessary bracelets). And  _ man _ was his laugh annoying.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Atsuya hissed even though there was no reason to keep his voice down. The guy finally stopped laughing long enough to sit up, and he lifted a hand to wipe at his eyes.

"Oh man, that was great. The look on your face was  _ priceless _ ," he said, chuckling some more. Then he leaned back on his hands and grinned up at Atsuya.

"Who  _ are _ you?" Atsuya persisted. The guy rolled his eyes.

"Pushy pushy. The name's Yuichiro, but you can call me Yu," he said, getting to his feet and dusting himself off before offering a hand. Atsuya looked at it and then back to Yu, unmoving. Yu retreated with a sigh. "Not the social type are ya? Well let me ask you something, then. What are  _ you _ doing here, huh?" he asked, stepping forward to poke forcefully at Atsuya's chest. He stumbled back, swatting at Yu's hand.

"None of your fucking business. Get lost, I found this place first," he said, waving dismissively. Yu quirked an eyebrow.

"Found it, huh? You don't have a place, do ya?"

Atsuya froze, clenching his jaw and looking away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yu relax a little.

"Tell ya what, I share a place with my good friend Haise. I could probably convince him to--" He cut off abruptly, causing Atsuya to look back at him. Yu was looking down at his hand, brow furrowed.

"What?" Atsuya asked, prepared to run if this guy turned out to be some homicidal nutcase or something.

"I dunno, I just...got this feeling..."

At that moment, both of them froze, heartbeat thundering in Atsuya's ears as his eyes widened. Yu fell to his knees with a cry, and Atsuya wanted to see what was wrong, but he couldn't make himself move. It was as if he really had frozen, and the coolness building up inside of his body only reinforced that thought. He looked at his hands, half-expecting them to be covered in ice, but they looked perfectly normal despite the freezing temperature that crawled from his fingertips to his arms, slowly overcoming his entire body. His skin took on a faint blue glow, and his eyes widened as he watched a red hue surround Yu the same way.

"What's...happening...?" Yu bit out from between clenched teeth, hands balled into fists. "I feel like I'm on fire...!" He let out a noise that was part growl, part yell as his hands flew to his head. "It's too hot! I'm burning, I'm--" He looked up at Atsuya, fear in his eyes that now glowed a vibrant red. "You're..."

Atsuya took a step back, stumbling until he hit the wall. He was cold all over, but his body didn't shudder and his skin didn't lose its healthy tan hue. It was as if his brain had lost the ability to register heat. And Yu...

He looked back up to see the blond clutching at his head again, eyes screwed shut.

"What did you do..."

~~ x x x ~~

"My Lady, please, you heard what Ms. Anna said. If you use your power too much you might--"

"I'm not using it too much! I'm just testing it out," Ronan insisted. She focused again on her hands, between which she had created a pink, gelatinous ball out of thin air. "This really is like magic..." she whispered to herself. She continued to spread her hands farther apart, making the ball bigger and bigger until it popped, just like bubblegum. But without the mess. She giggled.

"Please be careful, My Lady. There's no telling what might happen if you..." Jasper trailed off as Ronan ignored him and started again, tongue peeking out from betwixt her lips in concentration. He sighed, slumping his shoulders.

Ronan couldn't help her fascination. No amount of money or status in the world had ever brought her so much entertainment or excitement. She was the...Colourless King, as the old lady had called her. The title was confusing, not for the "King" part, but for the "Colourless" part. There was clearly colour to this...stuff she controlled, but she shrugged it off. It was probably abstract in essence anyway, so it really didn't matter. Idly she wondered what else she could do with this power.

A loud rumble followed by a faint quake of the building caused her to lose concentration and the bubble popped, but that was the least of her concern now. Both she and Jasper hurried to the window of the room, her butler pushing it open so they could peer around the side at the coast in the distance. A large plume of smoke had risen within the city, but what drew their attention was the formation of two, giant swords in the sky.

"Swords of Damocles..." Ronan whispered.

"That means..."

She and Jasper looked at each other before turning to leave the dorm. Thankfully, Ronan had changed into something more suitable for running instead of her bouncy dress, so she only had a little trouble keeping up with her fit butler.

At the train station, they were stopped as a man appeared in front of them--the man in the rabbit mask from before. What was his name--

"Eisuke," Jasper provided.

The man nodded. "Kings," he said, confirming their suspicions. "Will you help defuse the situation?" he asked, getting straight to the point. Jasper and Ronan looked at each other again, and with a nod from the latter and a resigned sigh from the former, they agreed.

The world around them shifted then, and it was as if they were standing in the middle of outer space. Eisuke was perched atop what looked to be a small model of the planet Saturn, and he beckoned them over.

"It's safe, I promise. I can travel fast on my own, but this lets me take others as well," he explained.

The two stepped over slowly, mutually skeptical of the nothingness they seemed to walk on, and Ronan instinctively clung to Jasper once they were atop the small planet with Eisuke. She squeaked as it began to move, Eisuke's body turning transparent and gaining a slight gold hue. Jasper blinked, realizing that it was the same sort of light that had surrounded Ronan before and what Anna had shown them. Could he be...?

"I'm not a King," Eisuke said as if reading his thoughts. "I am a clansman of the previous Gold King, Daikaku Kokujoji."

"A clansman?" Ronan asked, peeking up. Eisuke nodded.

"A King may acquire clansman and gift them the powers of his or her sanctum," he said. Ronan turned to look up at Jasper, eyes shining suspiciously.

"How do I do that?" she asked, keeping her eyes on him.

"Touch him and speak to your sanctum in your mind. Picture it flowing into him," Eisuke said softly. "I must warn you, though. The sanctum may reject people," he added. Ronan paused, looking back at him.

"Why?" she asked.

"Some aren't fit to join a certain clan. The sanctum can sense a person's will, so to speak, and acts accordingly. Its decisions may not always reflect the King's," Eisuke said. "The previous Red King, Mikoto Suoh..." He paused at that before continuing. "His aura would burn those the sanctum rejected while delivering a warmth to those it accepted."

The colour in Ronan's face drained. "What would mine do if it rejected Jaspies?" she asked. Jasper mentally facepalmed at the nickname, and glared at the quirk of Eisuke's lips.

"I'm afraid I can't say. The Colourless aura is a fickle one. Its power is known to change from King to King, and even from clansman to clansman. I've no past experience with the two previous Colourless Kings, but it would be difficult to say even if I did. However," he added, "if you'd like my personal opinion, I don't think he will be rejected."

Just like that, Ronan lit up again. "Really?" Eisuke nodded.

"Really." He faced Jasper then, his small smile still in place, although it was less amused and more warm. "I sense a strong will to protect and undying loyalty in him. He would have been a great Usagi under my King's reign," he said.

Jasper would deny it up and down, but a slight heat rose to his cheeks at that, and he couldn't help but stare even as Ronan pressed her hands to his chest. He didn't realize what was happening until he felt a surge of... _ something _ within him, and he gasped, eyes snapping to Ronan's which were watching him intently. It was as if he were breathing in air for the first time after being deprived, and a cool tingle spread through his body before it settled, and he looked down to realize he was glowing the same hue as Ronan had. When she pulled away, the glow dimmed, and he looked at his hands.

"Try it," Ronan whispered in English, voice pitched in accordance to her huge smile. Jasper smiled back before doing as asked, closing his eyes as he tried to imagine doing what he'd watched Ronan do. When he didn't feel anything, he opened his eyes and frowned as he saw that he hadn't created anything either.

"Look inside yourself," Eisuke offered. "It may be different."

That's right, it wasn't always the same. Jasper tried again, searching for that  _ something _ he had felt. When he focused, he could almost sense a presence within himself, a flow of energy that wasn't necessarily his own. Ronan's tiny squeal caused his eyes to open again, and this time he had results.

Translucent strings of that energy coiled around his forearms, shining and pale blue-- _ Like my eyes _ , he mused--and similar to that which had preceded the appearance of Ronan's Sword of Damocles. He wiggled his fingers experimentally, but with lack of purpose the strands faded away. Regardless, he smiled back at Ronan, and nodded his thanks to Eisuke.

They were released from the spacial hallucination then, and Jasper and Ronan looked around to see they were at a walled-off building. It wasn't hard to find the source of the destruction, what with the swords still hanging over the general area. A portion of the stone wall to the left broke then, the force of impact causing large pieces of the wall to go flying. Both Eisuke and Jasper braced for impact, but the sound of the stone colliding with something else stopped them. A wall of transparent pink had surrounded them, and they both looked at Ronan to see that she was scrunched in on herself, eyes squeezed shut. She blinked them open then, though, and looked around before smiling widely.

Although impressive, now was not the time to fawn over such things. Turning back to the new hole in the wall, they saw two men grappling at each other, one glowing red-- _ Like Anna _ \--and the other blue. Overhead, fields around the two Swords clashed as if fighting their own battle alongside the Kings they hung over.

"The new Red and Blue Kings," Eisuke said before bounding off after them at an impossible speed. Jasper's hair whipped at his face in the wake of the movement, and he could only watch as Eisuke got right in the middle of the battle. He glowed gold again, but this time didn't appear transparent from Jasper's perspective, and it enveloped the two Kings as well. They looked around wildly, and Jasper thought that Eisuke must have captured them in the same planetary illusion as he had before.

"What the hell is this?!" the Red King shouted, swinging his fist at Eisuke. The masked man was faster, though, much faster, and hooked him in the stomach before he could land the blow. The man collided with part of the wall that still stood, and the Blue King backed off before he could suffer the same fate. Satisfied, Eisuke ended the illusion as he stopped glowing, and Jasper and Ronan ran over.

"Explain yourselves," Eisuke demanded. From behind, Jasper saw that a white string was tied around Eisuke's waist, and attached to it was a white, fluffy ball. He lifted gloved hands to his lips, finally allowing the fact that Eisuke was basically wearing a bunny uniform sink in. That was so  _ cute _ . Holy shit.

"I don't have to explain  _ shit _ to you," the Red King said, just now getting to his feet, although he wobbled unsteadily. "Who do you think you are, waltzing in here acting all high and mighty--" He cut off with a grunt of pain as Eisuke clocked him again, sinking to the ground as he groaned.

"Hey!" the Blue King said, although he took another step back once he'd gained the other's attention. "Don't kick him while he's down." He looked away, and Eisuke straightened.

"You two are Kings," he said, ignoring the man's words. "Newborn Kings no less. Your powers are unstable and could cause cataclysmic damage if you let it run rampant like this. Look." He pointed up toward the Swords, which sparked with their respective colours. "A newly-formed Sword of Damocles should not be thrown into such a state so quickly. They will recover if you refrain from this nonsense for a time and allow yourselves to grow accustomed to your sanctums."

"What th'hell are ya on about?" the Red King asked, still slumped over from his beating.

"I'm explaining what has happened to you. I know you're confused and scared," Eisuke said, glancing back to the Blue King, "but that is no reason to lash out like this, especially toward each other. Using your power irresponsibly is one thing, but using it against another King is a death wish." He sighed. "Now, come inside, all of you." He gestured for Ronan and Jasper to follow him inside the building as well, but they didn't move until the Blue King had lifted the Red King's arm over his shoulder and started hobbling after Eisuke.

Once inside, Eisuke gathered them on his planets and a mere second passed before they found themselves in an office within the building. The Blue King put the Red King down against the desk and watched Eisuke with sharp eyes as he approached the padded corner that was sectioned off with bamboo.

"So, um..." Ronan stepped forward, but Jasper reached out to put a hand on her elbow. She smiled up at him before turning back toward the two Kings. "What are your names?" she asked.

The Blue King was silent for a moment before answering. "Atsuya," he said. "Atsuya Inoue. This is Yuichiro..." He glanced down at the Red King.

"Yu Saito," he provided with a cough. Ronan nodded.

"I'm Ronan Ellis. I'm here from England with my butler Jaspi--"

"Jasper Piers. A pleasure," he cut in, offering his hand. Ronan pouted at him, but he shrugged playfully as Atsuya shook his hand.

"So you're foreigners. And what about that guy?" he asked, nodding toward Eisuke, who was busy making tea, apparently. Where he got the tea was a mystery.

"Eisuke Kokujoji," he answered for himself.

"Kokujoji... Isn't that the name of some big-shot who ruled above the Prime Minister for a time?" Atsuya asked, scooting up onto the desk. Eisuke hummed in confirmation.

"Daikaku Kokujoji, the Second and Gold King," he clarified. "Second only to the First and Silver King, that is. He revolutionized Japan and headed the technological era, acting as a faceless figurehead behind the Prime Minister. He also protected the Dresden Slate while it existed and kept its power under control.

"Does the numbering signify the order the Kings appeared before?" Jasper asked.

"I'm not certain. It certainly seems that way, but the previous Colourless King was also referred to as the Seventh just like his predecessor instead of the Eighth. It may have to do with power structure," he said.

"Are you saying I'm the weakest of all the Kings?" Ronan asked, a whine in her voice. "That is so unfair!" She crossed her arms and Jasper patted her shoulder.

"You're the Colourless King then?" Atsuya asked; Ronan nodded.

"What would our numbers be?" Yu asked, grunting as he pulled himself up off the floor and leaned on the desk next to Atsuya.

"The Red King was considered the Third, and the Blue King the Fourth," Eisuke said simply.

"Ha!" Yu mock-punched Atsuya's shoulder.

"That doesn't mean anything! You could barely keep up with me back there," Atsuya defended.

"Yeah right, I was practically dragging you behind me."

"You were not!"

"Children, please," Jasper said, waving his hands placatingly.

"Tea," Eisuke announced.

* * *

Oddly enough, all five of them were able to sit down and drink the tea Eisuke had prepared--a rich hibiscus that Jasper could admire. The Gold clansman set about patching up Atsuya and Yu which minimal supplies he somehow kept under his drapes. Jasper couldn't resist any longer.

"I do hate to sound rude, but...is there a reason that you dress like a bunny?" he asked, not even bothering with tensing for a possible rebound because he knew he didn't stand a chance anyway. Eisuke stuttered in his work, but sighed.

"It is the uniform the Usagi wear... Wore," he said, sitting back once he'd tied off the bandages on Yu's arm. "I can't claim to know the Gold King's motive for designing them this way, but it became a symbol of the Gold clan. Quick-footed and spry, the rabbit represents rebirth, harmony, and the close bonds of a family." He rested his hands in his lap as he spoke.

"You must miss them--" Jasper started before a realization cut him off. "Wait a minute. How long ago did you say the Dresden Slate was destroyed?" he asked, arousing confusion in the two other Kings in the room, but he disregarded them for now.

"Eighty years," Eisuke said, a resignation in his voice that seemed to know what Jasper was about to say.

"And the Gold King, how old--"

"He died at the age of ninety-six eighty years ago." Jasper narrowed his eyes.

"When did you join the Gold clan?" he asked, voice low.

"At the age of twenty-three, eighty-seven years ago."

The room seemed to grow colder then, and the silence stretched on for far too long.

"You're one hundred and twelve years old."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooh mystery


	3. Rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is mostly just a bunch of exposition and dialogue i'm sorry rip

It is truly astonishing how quickly judgement is passed.

"How are you still alive?"

"Are you l-like a vampyre or something?"

"What the fuck is going on?"

"The tea is good."

The statement drew all attention to the Fourth and Blue King Atsuya Inoue, who had remained seated inside the tea nook whilst the other three took their distance from the Gold clansman. The brunet sipped idly from the demitasse, seemingly unaffected by all the panic.

"I... Thank you...?" Eisuke said. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Atsuya's calm approach to the new information, but he hadn't expected even one person to take it in stride.

"You're welcome," Atsuya said, placing the cup down in front of him. "I don't see what everyone's up-in-arms about. There was a rumour about another immortal: a man who lived in the sky and was thought to be either a god or a myth until he came to the ground."

"What?" Jasper asked from across the room. "That's impossible."

"Is it?" Atsuya gestured to Eisuke. "I think not."

"Are you saying this guy's a god or something?" Yu asked, although he seemed ready to throw punches at the notion alone.

"Of course not, you idiot," Atsuya snapped. "The immortal man wasn't a god either. He was a King." Eisuke nodded.

"The First and Silver King," he said. "He was gifted immortality by the Slate as part of his sanctum, I believe. Daikaku never went into detail about it."

"But you're not the Silver King," Jasper noted.

"No, I'm not." Eisuke stood, reaching inside of his cloak to pull out a small vile of clear liquid. "This is the product of my grandfather's research into the Silver King's immortality. With his consent, of course," he assured.

"Your grandfather?" Ronan asked, peering from behind Jasper. Eisuke froze, realizing his slip-up. He'd managed to divert away from the topic before, but now... With a sigh, he decided there was no real sense in hiding it anymore.

"Daikaku Kokujoji," he said simply. Jasper blinked, then slapped a hand to his head.

"Of course! Eisuke Kokujoji--you said it before!" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm an  _ idiot _ ."

"Hey, we didn't catch it either. Speak for yourself," Yu said with a glare.

"I realized that much the moment you said your name," Atsuya admitted. "I didn't know research went into immortality, though, and certainly not that it produced results."

"This is hardly refined," Eisuke said, returning the vile to his cloak. "It contains particles stripped from the Dresden Slate itself, as well as the Silver King."

"You mean you've been drinking a dead guy all this time?" Yu asked, face scrunching up. Eisuke's brow twitched behind his mask.

" _ No _ . Irregular isotopes were isolated from the Silver King's DNA and recreated using the Slate's influence," he said.

"But the Slate is gone now," Ronan reminded. He nodded.

"Supposedly."

"So you haven't been able to make more... How much do you have left?" Jasper asked.

"A year's worth," Eisuke admitted, glancing down.

"...What happens when you run out?" Ronan asked, hiding herself more behind Jasper.

"My body will burn the remaining isotopes and I will begin aging normally once again."

Jasper blinked. "So you won't age spontaneously and turn into a pile of bones before our eyes?" Eisuke stared at him.

"What do you think this is, a badly-written fantasy novel?" he asked, shaking his head as Jasper chuckled airily and rubbed the back of his head. "Of course that won't happen. Although I can't say for sure that I won't suffer physical setbacks. There's no telling how my body will respond to losing the constant dosage of isotopes, and I'm not certain that ingesting what is, in essence, part of the Slate has done any good. For all I know, the isotopes are all that have been keeping me alive."

"Have you shared that with anyone? The research department?" Atsuya asked. Eisuke shook his head.

"I swore an oath to my grandfather that I would not reveal it to anyone. You four are the first to know aside from Anna," he said.

"Anna?" Yu asked.

"Better not," Jasper warned. Yu held up his hands in surrender.

"But that could lead the world one step closer to the secret to immortality," Atsuya said, standing up. "Why would you keep that to yourself?"

"Why would you want immortality?" Eisuke challenged, getting to his feet as well. "Why would you want to watch the world go by as your loved ones die and you must remain?" That made Atsuya go quiet, and Eisuke waved his hand. "And besides, logically speaking, if the majority of the population, even the minority, became immortal, the Earth would become overpopulated and we'd fall to ruin. Or worse, we'd infect the rest of the known universe with our filth." The set of his lips betrayed a scowl. "The Silver King begged Daikaku for death countless times. His body rejected disease and sickness, and only a King can cill a King. He was finally granted that wish two years ago."

The room was silent for a pregnant moment, and then Yu cleared his throat.

"Well, sorry for your loss and stuff I guess, but it's getting late. Or should I say early," he amended with a squint toward the light outside the window behind the desk. "I should really head home."

"Red King," Eisuke said, stopping Yu before he could reach the door. "Do not forget your new responsibility. I'll be keeping a close eye on you," he warned. Yu threw him an easy grin.

"Yeah yeah. Later, freaks." He lifted a hand in a wave as he walked away, none too concerned. Eisuke sighed.

"I get the feeling he'll be causing problems..."

"Um..." Atsuya started, regaining the Usagi's attention. "Can you tell me more about the Blue King? The last one," he asked. Eisuke nodded.

"I'll tell you what I know." He gestured for the others to sit down again, and he followed suit as the two foreigners returned to the padded flooring and sat, relaxed. "His name was Reisi Munakata. He operated directly under Daikaku's orders, but loosely, and thus held power over the Prime Minister as well," he said. "He organized his clan in this very establishment, and named it Scepter 4." The three gazed around, holding a newfound respect and awe for the building they'd taken to so casually. "Its modus operandi was very similar to that of the police force, but much more advanced and effective due to the use of the Blue aura. One of its main focuses was registering Strains and ensuring that they didn't run rampant over the city."

"Strains?" Ronan asked. She leaned against Jasper's shoulder, yawning, and he wrapped an arm around her.

"They are people who are affected by the Dresden Slate independently from the Kings and their clans. They obtain bizarre powers that aren't restricted to any sanctum, and tended to be quite a nuisance," Eisuke said. "Which was why that particular duty was delegated to Scepter 4. It made our job much easier."

"Will there be more Strains now?" Atsuya asked. Eisuke nodded.

"Most likely. I still don't know why any of this is happening. The Dresden Slate was destroyed almost a century ago," he said. Atsuya furrowed his brows.

"But that's what causes people like me--like us," he gestured to Ronan, "to exist, right?"

"Exactly. My theory is that a portion of the Slate survived, but that alone isn't a sound explanation," Eisuke said.

"Well, okay. Assuming that there's another Slate or whatever is going on, the problem with the Strains will arise again, won't it?" Atsuya asked.

"I'm sure. When humans get their hands on power, they get stupid." He shot a look at Atsuya, offered a weak smile. Eisuke sighed. "But with Scepter 4 and the Usagi no longer around, I fear that the city will be torn apart by the chaos this causes."

"...What if I brought Scepter 4 back?" Atsuya suggested. "I mean, I'm the Blue King, aren't I? I could go to the Prime Minister and get whatever permissions I need. Right?"

"In theory," Eisuke said. "Without the Gold King's influence over the government, however, your odds are looking at getting denied or being completely puppeteered by the government." He held up a hand when Atsuya opened his mouth to speak again. "And I can't stand in his place. The only reason he had so much power was because he single-handedly revolutionized Japan. It definitely doesn't need to advance any further, and I have nothing more to offer the country."

"But...you're his grandson," Atsuya said in a tone of voice that made Eisuke very uneasy. The brunet smiled. "Imagine if the people found out you exist. The grandson of Japan's great figurehead who modernized the country and brought us where we are today. Imagine  _ that _ on the headlines." He crossed his arms with a smug grin.

"I'm not sure I like where this is going..." Eisuke said.

* * *

Eventually,  _ somehow _ , Atsuya convinced Eisuke to join him during his audience with the Prime Minister, and after exchanging a few choice words, they got exactly what they wanted. Atsuya got his warrant to re-establish Scepter 4 as a public-servant organization that would be overseen directly by Eisuke Kokujoji. Luckily, the Prime Minister had been more than willing to permit it all. He was fascinated with the reappearance of Kings and was a huge history buff who read all about Scepter 4's great deeds in the past. He was ready to hand over the deed the moment they walked through the door.

"You're just as cunning as the last Blue King," Eisuke said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. Atsuya could only smile, not having taken his eyes off the papers since he got his hands on them.

"I have to be. A street rat's silver tongue is all he's got," he said with a wink.

"A street rat?" he asked. Atsuya shrugged.

"Yeah. Parents ditched me when I was eight and left me at the doorstep of a foster home," he said.

"And you didn't stay there?"

"No. It was abandoned."

Eisuke was quiet for a moment after that. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said finally.

"It's ancient history. Life really turned around for me a week ago," Atsuya said with a smile. Eisuke couldn't help but smile as well. He'd helped clean up the dormitories in the Scepter 4 headquarters along with Ronan and Jasper to make them mostly suitable for use, but it occurred to him then that Atsuya had wanted that done first for his own use. He wondered just how the kid got by, but he didn't have to worry about it now. The Prime Minister had given them a rather generous grant that covered the renovation of the headquarters as well as Atsuya's first paycheck as newly-appointed Captain of Scepter 4. Eisuke had denied any money offered to him. He had more than enough of Anna's funds that she had set aside specifically for him.

"What will your first order as Captain be?" Eisuke asked after some time.

"Well, I need a crew to order first," Atsuya pointed out.

"Right. How will you manage that?"

"I'm going to put an ad in the news casters. Once Shizume hears that Scepter 4 is back on the scene, people will  _ flock _ to join," he said.

"Just don't initiate every hooligan who walks through those gates," Eisuke warned.

"I'm not an idiot," Atsuya insisted. "I know how to play my cards. But, to answer your question, my first order will be to find and register every Strain."

"A noble verdict. Will you do it because you want to or because the last Blue King did?" Eisuke asked. Atsuya fell silent for a moment, finally taking his eyes off the paper to gaze ahead.

"Because I want to. I want to honour Reisi Munakata's memory, too, but I also want to prove that even a street rat can do some good," he said. Eisuke watched him for a time as they walked, then turned his eyes ahead as well.

"'We will advance with sword in hand, for our cause is just'," he said. Atsuya turned to look at him.

"What?"

"The Blue clan's dictum. Reisi always said it before he went into battle," Eisuke explained.

"He fought alongside his clansmen even though they worked under him?" Atsuya asked.

"Yes, but only on certain occasions." He continued before Atsuya could ask the next question. "He only went to battle with the Red King. Anything else could be handled by his clansmen."

"...Was the Red King strong?" Eisuke nodded.

"Exceedingly so, but Mikoto Suoh and Reisi Munakata were evenly-matched to the core," he said. "The Red clan was a group of gangsters who called themselves HOMRA after their friend's bar."

"I know that bar," Atsuya said. "They really used to hang out in a place like that?" Eisuke chuckled.

"It was far different back then. It used to be a quaint building with an elaborate interior. The bar itself was imported from England," he said. Atsuya snorted.

"Those foreigners will be glad to hear that."

"As they should. As you know, the bar isn't doing so well now. Anna kept it from being demolished and renovated into a corner shop, but the previous owner she entrusted it to disappeared some time ago. And now that Anna isn't around to protect it, I don't doubt that the city will have it torn down," Eisuke said. Atsuya frowned at his tone of voice.

"I'll tell Yu about it," the Blue King decided. Eisuke turned to him. "I'm sure he'd like a place of his own too since I've got one. And the fact that it used to be occupied by the previous Red King only makes it appropriate," he said.

"I suppose you're right. I just hope that it doesn't give him any incentive to repeat Suoh's mistakes," Eisuke said. "For a time after he became the Red King, he didn't cause too much of a fuss aside from the usual gang activity." He waved his hand. "But after one of his clansmen was killed, he became set on revenge and nearly put the city in shambles until he finally got what he wanted. But at the cost of forcing the Blue King to slay him."

Atsuya's breath hitched, and his step faltered.

"You mean he...killed the Red King?" he asked, voice shaky. Eisuke nodded.

"Suoh's Weismann levels--the term that gauges the state of a King's power and Sword of Damocles--were out of control before any of it started because he threw around his power without accounting for the consequences. When he killed the previous Colourless King--Tatara Totsuka's murderer--it caused his sanctum to overload and his Sword of Damocles began to fall. The only way to stop the destruction a Damocles Down would cause is to kill the King, and so that's what Reisi did."

Atsuya turned his eyes to his feet as he walked. "So now you're afraid that Yu will turn out that way," he concluded.

"He certainly seems the type. I can only hope for your sake that he doesn't. The burden of killing a King and living afterwards is hell enough as it is. Reisi was spared his own life by his Sword because the Dresden Slate was destroyed. We don't even know what state the Slate is in now. If you were forced to do something like that--"

"My Sword might fall and cause mass destruction," Atsuya finished. Eisuke nodded again.

"Yes. Unless you've found a trusty right-hand by that time to do the job for you, it would be unavoidable."

"But I thought you said only a King can kill a King?"

"That's true, but once a Sword begins to fall, that person is no longer a King. They lose their sanctum and become vulnerable to mortal wounds. The first Blue King had to suffer that fate after allowing the first Red King's Sword to fall and create the--"

"Kugutsu Crater," Atsuya finished again. "It all makes sense now. They never went into much detail about this stuff in the history books," he said.

"Not to sound rude, but I'm surprised you had access to history books," Eisuke noted. Atsuya smirked.

"Public libraries are a blessing."

They stood before the gates now, and Eisuke turned to incline his head at Atsuya.

"I wish you luck from here on out. Since you are under my supervision, I'll be keeping an eye on you, too, but most of my attention will be directed toward Yuichiro," he said. Atsuya nodded.

"Don't worry. You can count on me." He offered a smile that Eisuke returned.

"I'll hold you to your word, Blue King Atsuya Inoue." And with that, he turned and practically disappeared with his speed. Atsuya turned to regard the walled-off building that was now under his jurisdiction.

He inhaled deeply and exhaled with a huff. "Time to get my justice on."


	4. Spring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for the short chapter rip

"Welcome!"

The synchronized greeting made Eisuke jump in place, which was a feat in itself. Ronan and Jasper stood at the door of their dormitory room, beckoning him inside with big grins and shining eyes. It was the kind of sight he hadn't had the pleasure of seeing in quite some time.

As he stepped into the room, Jasper closed the door behind him as Ronan trailed him closely.

"So this is where you two are staying?" he asked, looking around. It wasn't a bad set-up in the least, but he had thought that people of their status would have booked more posh lodgings.

"Mhm! I  _ really _ wanted to get the genuine Japanese experience!" Ronan said, bouncing onto the bed (single bed). "Plus the school is letting me observe some of their classes! It's really interesting~" She hummed and swung her legs lightly.

"I, uh, apologize for the close quarters," Jasper said, sliding around him. "But it does provide the necessary accommodations, and as you saw outside it's thoroughly-guarded." Eisuke held up a hand.

"I'm not here to judge. So long as you're happy," he said, straightening. "Now, is there any particular reason you summoned me here?" he asked. Ronan and Jasper looked at each other.

"We thought you'd enjoy lunch with us," Jasper offered. Eisuke blinked.

"Lunch?"

* * *

Lunch, apparently. Eisuke soon found himself seated at the small table in the middle of the main room, feet tucked under his knees and his hands resting on his sides. Ronan sat across from him, arms wrapped around her legs as she held them to her chest. Her beaming smile hadn't dimmed since he arrived, and he shifted under her stare.

"What?" he asked, doing his best not to sound defensive.

"Do you ever take off that mask?" she asked in response. Eisuke paused, realizing that he hadn't taken it off in front of them yet.

"I do," he said, reaching up behind his head to undo the thin string attached to the golden rabbit mask. Lowering it from his face, he shook his head to loosen the dark hair that hung around his smoky eyes, then lifted his gaze to meet Ronan's once more.

A small, sharp gasp followed by a quiet "Oh" was heard from the doorway to the kitchenette, and Eisuke glanced back to see Jasper frozen under the threshold, tea tray in hand. Once noticed, he tensed, then hurried to set the tray down on the table in front of them before uttering a brief apology and disappearing into the kitchenette once more. Eisuke turned back to Ronan, blinking.

"Is he alright?" he asked, glancing back toward the doorway. Ronan's smile turned into more of a smirk, and she held her hand to the side of her mouth as if to whisper, although it was a shabby attempt.

"He thinks you're cute," she said.

There was a clatter of silverware from the kitchen.

"I...see..." Eisuke cleared his throat, shifting again. Ronan pouted.

"You're not going to be weird about it, are you?" she asked, eyes watching him like a hawk.

"I--no, it's nothing like that... I just..."

"Food is ready!" Jasper called just before entering the room again with another tray that he set beside the first. On it was a pile of sandwiches cut into nigh perfect triangles. Ronan didn't hesitate to dig in as Jasper poured three cups of tea and, with an obvious shudder in his knees, took his seat at the end of the table between Ronan and Eisuke. His face was beat red, and he stared at his hands in his lap, making no move toward the food himself. Eisuke's expression softened, but he didn't say anything for the man's sake, instead taking one of the sandwich slices so as not to seem rude.

After a moment in which Jasper only nursed his tea, Ronan's eyes flicked between the two men, her chewing growing slower and slower until she finally swallowed. Then she jumped to her feet, causing both men to jump slightly.

"I have to use the bathroom," she stated before marching off in that direction. Jasper's voiceless protest followed after her, mouth gaping and eyes pleading. When the door closed, however, he shrunk back in on himself, holding onto the tea saucer as if his life depended on it. Eisuke sighed.

"It's alright. You don't have to be so on-edge," he said, watching as Jasper tensed again and refused to look up. "I won't judge you for it. But I barely know you--"

Jasper put his cup down and waved his hands. "No, no, it's okay! I--I wasn't...going to pursue anything..." he said, dropping his head again, swallowing.

"Why not?" Eisuke asked, effectively drawing Jasper's wide eyes back to him.

"Wh-why...? I..." He looked down again, shoulders slumping slightly. "Because I didn't think anything substantial would come from it. My Lady and I are only visiting for two months--Oh, I don't know what we'll do now, with these new...powers," he said, looking at the palms of his hands. "It would cause an uprising if we brought this back to England without completely understanding it."

"Perhaps you could stay longer," Eisuke suggested before sipping from his tea. Jasper's head snapped up again, and Eisuke smiled. "It would give you more time to learn to control your power. ...And it would give us more time to get to know each other better." Jasper was looking at him with big, blue eyes and his face was dusted with more red, and Eisuke allowed himself to think that it was cute.

Ronan decided she was done in the bathroom then, skipping out and plopping back down into her spot with a smile that seemed far too satisfied. Jasper pinned her with a narrowed-eyed glare.

"You're evil, My lady," he muttered, reaching out for a sandwich at last. Ronan hummed airily.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jaspies~" she said in a sing-song tone.

Eisuke chuckled as they continued to enjoy lunch.

~~ x x x ~~

At the top of Mihashira Tower, a fourth Sword of Damocles went unnoticed in the clouded skies above. A relatively short man sits on the edge of the roof, swinging his legs and humming a soft tune.

The wind ruffles his sandy blond hair, and his humming stops abruptly, and is replaced with a boyish giggle.

"Let's have some fun..."

~~ x x x ~~

"What do you think you're doing?" Atsuya asked as Yu took to draping himself across the entire surface of the--thankfully clear--desk. The blond smiled as he clasped his hands behind his head.

"Chilling. Not every day I get to kick it in a big-shot's office," he said. Atsuya flicked his forehead.

"There's a reason for that. It's called trespassing. Get off," Atsuya said, tugging on Yu's shirt collar until he rolled off the side and onto his feet.

"Well I mean hey, if you insist." Yu's hand dipped downward, but it got no farther than that as he ducked to dodge Atsuya's fist narrowly. He snickered and skirted around the desk to safety.

"What do you want, Yu? I have to prepare for the new recruits," the Blue King said with a huff as he continued moving about the room to straighten things up, reorganize what was already there, and place even more things that Yu thought were pretty damn useless.

"I got nowhere else to be. Come on, cut me some slack. You've got this huge place all to yourself now. Pretty big step up, huh?" Yu said, leaning on the edge of the desk instead. Atsuya glanced over his shoulder at him.

"I wanted to talk to you about that, actually," he said, turning to face him once he was finished. "Do you know the bar HOMRA?" he asked. Yu shrugged.

"Heard of it. Why?"

"Do you know that it used to be the makeshift base of operations for the Red clan?" Atsuya raised his brows challengingly, but Yu just blinked.

"So what?"

Atsuya deadpanned. "You don't find that interesting at all?"

Another shrug. "Not really. It's just some old bar now. What am I gonna do with a place like that?" Atsuya threw his hands around a bit.

"I don't know, buy the property, fix it up, make it yours? I thought you'd like having a place of your own so you didn't feel so left out," the brunet said, sighing. "Sorry I wasted my breath." Yu pushed off of the desk.

"I don't have the kinda money for that. It's hard enough to me and Haise to keep up on rent for our place. Gigs don't always pay well," he said, running a hand through his hair. Atsuya looked up again.

"You play?"

"Yeah, the electric base." Yu smirked. "Wanna hear some songs? Haise sings," he said. Atsuya considered it.

"Some other time. The ad I put in is supposed to go through today and people will show up at any time." Yu rolled his eyes.

"Boring. Just swing by my place when you're done being a nerd," he said, grabbing a pen and paper to write down his address.

"I'm not being a 'nerd', I'm being a responsible King and Captain. Not like you would know," Atsuya said, snatching the paper when it was handed to him. Yu just smiled.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Later," he said, lifting his hand in a lazy wave as he left the office. Atsuya sighed once the door closed, walking around his desk to sit in his chair. It was odd how easily he fell into conversation with Yu despite knowing next to nothing about him. He was just that kind of person, Atsuya reasoned. He wondered with the previous Red and Blue Kings ever had a relationship like that.

* * *

Hours ticked by, and Atsuya busied himself as much as possible as he waited for new recruits, fiddling with his uniform. It along with those tailored for the previous clan members had been resupplied since they'd been left with the government after Scepter 4's initial disbandment. He'd had to have the Captain's suit remade almost entirely to fit him--Reisi Munakata had been an unfairly tall man. He could just imagine the kind of submission he commanded just from his presence alone, and with a bit of searching through the new, up-to-date computers that had been delivered, he found pictures that confirmed his suspicion.

A bit more rummaging through digital files brought up the previous Red King, Mikoto Suoh, and Atsuya made a physical effort not to shrink in on himself just looking at the images. Yu didn't hold a candle to this guy: his eyes alone screamed murder at the slightest wrong move, and his hair--it must have been dyed, Atsuya told himself. There was no way hair could naturally be that red. If nothing else, though, it certainly suited his title.

He became so wrapped up in looking through the history of both clans that he didn't even notice someone standing in the doorway until they cleared their throat. Atsuya very nearly jumped out of his chair as he scrambled to close out of the files. He got to his feet with a bit of a stumble to regard a relatively tall brunet with striking teal eyes.

"Uh--hi, sorry to barge in, but there was no one at the door," the man said, straightening himself now that he'd been noticed. He didn't half-ass it, either, taking on a rigidly militant stance. "I'm Chihiro Moto, uh, Sir. I'm here regarding a possible position in Scepter 4." Atsuya cleared his throat to avoid any unwanted cracking before he even tried to talk.

"Right. I have a form I'd like you to fill out--just typical questions you might find at an interview and fields for personal information so that I can perform a mandatory background check. Once you've completed it, please allow up to a week for review before you are contacted," he said, slipping a thin packet from the pile now situated on the corner of his desk and walking over to hand it to Chihiro. "I'd like you to fill out your favoured position so that I can adjust my review accordingly. Some areas of expertise require different skillsets. I'd also like you to note that all recruits, no matter their position, will be trained in swordsmanship."

Chihiro nodded as he took the packet. "Understood."

Atsuya smiled easily. "You can fill it out in the lobby if you'd like," he offered. Chihiro nodded again and excused himself. Once the door was closed, Atsuya took a breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes. He could do this. This is fine.

The rest of the applicants who approached him were dealt with in much the same way, some portraying more outgoing traits than others, and by the end of the night he had gathered a total of...six applications.

Well then.

~~ x x x ~~

Yu would never admit to something once he'd spoken against it, but that didn't stop him from seeking out that damned bar Atsuya mentioned. Luckily, he had managed to drag Haise along, who didn't just turn down an opportunity to drink. He was no deadbeat alcoholic, but he'd tasted his fair share of wines. So when they got to the bar to find it in shambles, it went without saying that Haise was a little disappointed.

"Well this was a waste of time," Yu said, kicking at a bit shattered glass by the bar counter. Haise leaned over the counter to peer on the other side, shaking his head.

"This place looks like it could'a been amazin' back in its heyday," he said, sighing. "Probably had all sorts'a great drinks." Yu patted him on the shoulder.

"Sorry man. I'll give that smurf a hard time for sending us all the way out here for nothing."

"Oh, I wouldn't say for nothing."

Both Haise and Yu whipped their heads around at the unfamiliar voice, fists at the ready as someone stepped down the stairs. Yu's hands glowed red of their own accord, but he wasn't about to hold back his power if worse came to worst. The figure descending toward them paused at that, but continued anyway, hands lifted halfway to reveal empty palms.

"Easy there, tiger. I'm just a regular guy, you know," the voice said, finally stepping into the light--what little there was of it streaming through the boarded-up windows, anyway. His hair was a soft gold hue, similar eyes as gentle as the smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Haise asked from beside Yu. The man relaxed at that, gaze taking in the entirety of the bar as a hand rested on the rail of the stairs, thumb brushing across the worn wood.

"My grandfather used to own this bar," he said first. Then he turned his smile back on them. "I'm Hiei Awashima."


	5. Heat.

"You better let me out of here!" Genmei yanked hard on the bars.

"Or what, Dolly?" asked the as-of-yet faceless voice. Genmei whipped her head around to try to find the source, but there was no one else to be found in the spacious room. She growled, pulling harder, but to no avail.

"I am  _ not _ your 'dolly'!" With another harsh cry, she plunked down in the middle of the cage she'd woken up in and crossed her arms. "Do you even know who I am? When I get out of here, I'll have you ruined! Nobody will hire a nutcase like you!" An echoic chuckle was given in response, and though it brought a shudder, Genmei clenched her teeth, dark brown eyes never settling on one place for too long.

"What would  _ I _ do with such materialistic things as money?" the voice asked. "Buy a house? Raise a  _ family _ ?" The voice spat the word. She heard footsteps then, and again she was looking around wildly for the body they belonged to, but the sound remained obscure until, at last, Genmei could narrow it down to the large set of doors directly across from her. She swallowed as they began to part, her eyes trained on the opening.

Just as the silhouette of the body appeared, however, Genmei found herself thrown into another dimension entirely. At least, that was what she saw. Glancing around, she concluded that the illusion mimicked outer space. She hummed once to herself before turning back to where the body had been, but it was concealed by various small versions of planets that moved around it in just the right way. Narrowing her eyes, Genmei stood up.

"Who needs filthy things like money, anyway?" the voice said just before the circling planets changed trajectory and sped toward the caged girl. Her eyes widened and she shrieked, throwing up her arms to hide her face as if that would spare her the impact. When that impact didn't come, however, she blinked open the eyes she had instinctively closed, turning to peek through her hands. Her jaw fell slack as she lowered them to study the glistering, rainbow-esque spectrum that danced across her palm and fingers. Movement around her brought her eyes to the planets that now orbited her instead of the body, and her gaze snapped toward it at the chance of finally seeing it. Once a planet had floated from her view, she saw it.

The person was fairly short, with unkempt blond hair and muted green eyes. There was a sweet smile in spite of the circumstances, but that only drew another growl from Genmei.

"Who are you?" she asked. Although the cage had seemed to disappear with the illusion, she didn't bother trying to escape. The bars still confined her, and she knew it. Her captor began to walk toward her.

"You can call me King," they said. "And I'll call you Dolly because you're my toy." As they got closer, Genmei retreated, taking the necessary steps backward to place herself in the approximate middle of the cage. As the person--"King"--got closer, the planets left her to orbit around their master again.

"I am  _ not _ your--"

"Toys don't talk." With a flash of movement, a smaller planet was propelled into Genmei's stomach, and she let out a strained cough as she doubled over. "Unless I make them," King added. The planet rounded upward, colliding with the underside of her jaw, and Genmei cried out. "Good Dolly~" The voice was closer now, and she mustered enough strength to look up to find King standing just outside the vicinity of the cage. Her glasses had fallen askew on her face, and her vision swam. "Now it's time for toys to go night-night."

The last thing Genmei saw was King's hand reaching toward her.

~~ x x x ~~

"Is something wrong, Eisuke?" Ronan asked, leaning over beside the Gold clansman to peer up at him as they walked. Eisuke shook his head, sighing.

"I just feel a bit off is all," he said. "Should have read my horoscope today..."

"You believe in those things?" Ronan asked, straightening up. Eisuke shrugged.

"They've proven to be fairly accurate in my experience. It could be coincidence," he admitted.

"There is a logic to that kind of astrology," Jasper said. He walked with his hands tucked behind his back, a smile on his face that hadn't left since that morning. It had been a week and a half since their group lunch date, and there was little that could dampen his mood. "I don't know the specifics myself, but I don't doubt that certain celestial aspects regarding one's time of birth can have an effect on those people." Eisuke smiled at him, and for some reason, the fact that Jasper could see his eyes now only made it harder to stave off the blush that overcame his face each time he did that.

"What's your sign, then?" Ronan asked.

"Aquarius," Eisuke said. Jasper swallowed. "Although I'm not too proud of it. There are some questionable morals associated with my sign." Ronan waved her hands.

"They don't really mean anything. You be who you want," she said. "That reminds me, though. Jaspies, I've never asked you. What's your--"

"Uhhh, hey--! Isn't that...Scepter 4?" Jasper pointed toward the short line of armoured vehicles charging through the roadway. He hadn't expected to find an actual distraction, but this was more than just that.

"Yes, it is. I'm not surprised that they've already found jobs to do. The appearance of Strains was bound to gather attention sooner or later," Eisuke said. "Regardless, I think we should follow them. This Scepter 4 is still new, and I doubt the Blue King has had much time to train his new clansmen, much less himself. It might be beyond his current power." He pulled his golden rabbit mask from inside of his cloak--he must have had multiple; he was never seen wearing anything else--and tied it around his head. "Are you ready?" he asked Ronan and her butler; they nodded.

* * *

They followed the vehicles to a large skyscraper Eisuke informed was called Mihashira Tower. He explained that it was where the original Dresden Slate used to be held and where the previous Gold King took residence. The appearance of a massive, gold sword in the sky only confirmed his suspicions about the odd sensations he'd been having, and he rolled his shoulders in response to the phantom tingle across his back.

A wall of impressive but ultimately what Eisuke knew would be useless armoured men surrounded the front entrance of the tower--the riot brigade, he assumed. An unfamiliar Blue clansman clad in the First Lieutenant's uniform (necessarily adapted from that which he had seen before), flanked by a woman in what Eisuke recognized as an adapted Second Lieutenant's uniform, assorted a line of lower-ranked clansman in front of the riot brigade's defense, and then the Blue King himself appeared on the front lines.

"Atsuya Inoue," Eisuke called, lifting his hands and prompting the other two to do the same as the armed soldiers turned their weapons on them. Atsuya gave a wave.

"At ease, gentlemen," he said, crossing the distance to stand before them. "I didn't expect to find you three here. Do you know something about the report we received regarding a captive Strain in the tower?" he asked, cutting straight to the point. Eisuke shook his head, relaxing his arms.

"We just noticed your troops heading this way and thought we could lend a hand," he said, then pointed up toward the golden Sword of Damocles. "There's a new Gold King. I'd like to request that you allow me to confront them personally if you should encounter them." Atsuya crossed his arms with a sigh.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he said. "As of right now, all three of you are only citizens. I can't allow you to enter a potentially dangerous situation until we've secured the area completely. Your mere presence here is a direct violation of--"

"With all due respect, Blue King," Eisuke interrupted, "I am still a member of the Usagi, regardless of the absence of my former King. In accordance to our agreement as recorded by the Prime Minister himself, you are to obey my direct orders. I apologize, but requesting your compliance was merely a formality. The three of us will be accompanying you into the tower." He met Atsuya's gaze through his mask without waver, and they stared at each other for a pregnant moment until Atsuya finally inhaled through his nose and exhaled sharply.

"Very well. I'll trust you not to hinder our proceedings, then." And with that, he gave a curt bow and turned on his heel to rejoin his men. Eisuke sighed.

"There must be something about being Captain..." he muttered to himself, shaking his head as he started forward. Ronan and Jasper looked at each other and gave mutually unsure shrugs before following the Usagi.

"Widen the barricade. If anyone is spotted leaving the tower before I've given the mission clear, you are to maintain a visual at all costs, if not stop them. The safety of the citizens of Shizume takes top priority, so keep this matter contained at all costs. Is that understood?" Atsuya addressed both the riot brigade and his clansmen, receiving a collective "Yes, Sir!" from both parties. The First Lieutenant saluted his Captain once what appeared to be the entry force was situated.

"We are ready for your orders, Sir," he said, lowering his hand. Atsuya nodded, sparing a glance at Eisuke, Ronan, and Jasper as they stood patiently to the side.

"Alright. Infiltration of Mihashira Tower is underway. Let's go," he said, taking his place at the vanguard, the First and Second Lieutenant flanking him on his right and left sides respectively, and the chosen clansmen joining the initial infiltration filing behind. Eisuke, Ronan, and Jasper entered behind them, keeping a comfortable distance so as not to crowd the "trained professionals".

"So what exactly did this report entail?" Eisuke asked as they neared the stairwell. The Second Lieutenant held up her wrist, activating a holographic screen from her watch.

"We received an anonymous letter last night claiming that an unregistered Strain was being held captive in this tower. The exact words were: 'It's time to play Dollhouse. If you want her, come and get her'. A picture of the Strain was attached," she said, bringing up said picture and projecting it so they could see it. Jasper furrowed his brows.

"'Play Dollhouse'?" he muttered. "That sounds almost childish." Ronan pouted.

"I have a dollhouse..." she said. Jasper stuttered out half of an apology before the First Lieutenant spoke.

"My guess is that we're dealing with some perverse criminal. I don't even want to think about the damage control we might be looking at after saving this girl..." he said, sighing.

"Apprehending," Atsuya corrected idly.

"You don't think it could be an actual child?" the Second Lieutenant asked.

"Of course not. No child would do something like this. Besides, this is a King we're talking about," the First Lt. said.

"There's been a child King before," the Second Lt. argued. "Granted she wasn't nearly insane enough to pull a stunt like this, but children will do crazy things if they think they can get away with it. I think it's a great possibility."

"Nobody asked for your opinion,  _ Saeki _ ," the First Lt. said from between clenched teeth. The Second Lt. gave an equally-frustrated expression.

"I'm just keeping an open mind,  _ Moto _ . You might try it sometime."

"Are you trying to imply something--"

Atsuya cleared his throat harshly, effectively silencing the both of them. "Do keep in mind that we are on a  _ mission _ with the potential to face off against another  _ King _ ," he said. "I suggest you don't take this lightly." The lieutenants straightened.

"Yes, Sir," they said simultaneously. Jasper and Ronan glanced at each other again, laughing weakly.

"He's right," Eisuke said quietly to the two of them. "Not only another King, but the Gold King. You two should keep on your toes. This could very well be a trap." He looked ahead to catch Atsuya nodding at him over his shoulder.

"Precisely. You are all to exercise utmost caution."

"Sir!"

* * *

On the top floor of the tower, they all stood behind the doors that would lead into the room that once held the Dresden Slate. Atsuya gave silent signals that his clansmen seemed to understand surprisingly well for their limited time training under him, and Eisuke and the foreigners simply stood at the ready as Atsuya pushed open the doors.

The jingle of sabre holsters was deafening in the silence that followed as the mostly empty room came into view. Within the cage in the centre of the room was the girl from the picture, and she leapt to the bars as soon as she saw them.

"It's about time somebody came here to save me! Do you know how long I've been sitting in here?! With that  _ freak _ playing mind games with me?! I'll have you all court-martialed if you don't get me out of here this  _ instant _ !" She tugged hard on the bars.

"So much for damage control..." the First Lt. said weakly, rubbing the back of his head. Atsuya didn't look impressed.

"Please calm down, Miss. Do you know who brought you here?" he asked, eyes scanning the entire room before he motioned for his squad to move toward the cage. The girl deflated a little.

"Some weirdo who goes by 'King'," she said. "I saw them, but..." She shook her head. "I don't remember what they look like." Atsuya nodded.

"It's okay. Let's just focus on getting you out of here," he said. Taking a step back, he put his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Inoue, ready." The holster clicked and the sword slid free. "Please stand back," he told the girl, who did so quickly. With two quick swipes of the blade blurred by flashes of blue, parts of the bars clattered to the ground, leaving an opening big enough for the Strain to crawl out. As soon as she was free, however, Atsuya latched a pair of handcuffs around her wrists.

"Are you  _ kidding _ me?!" The girl squirmed fiercely as she was handed off to the lieutenants. "I thought I was being saved, not arrested! I haven't done anything, dammit all! Do you know who I am? I'll ruin you, too!" Atsuya paid her no mind, instead bringing up a screen from his watch like the Second Lt. had.

"Genmei Endo, sixteen years old, high school student. You'll ruin what, exactly?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at her. A blush rose to her cheeks even as she gritted her teeth.

The sudden sound of music playing put an end to all chatter and banter as the lights dimmed, leaving only the illumination from beneath the glass of the floor. The tune was distinct, but it took Eisuke a moment to place it.

"London Bridge," he and Jasper said at the same time. Eisuke didn't dwell on the thought that  _ of course _ he'd know what it was.

"Gold King," Atsuya called, holding his sword down but at the ready. "In compliance with Protocol Zero-Nine-Dash-B, under the Weismann Agreement of 2025, it is my duty as the acting Captain of Scepter 4 to take you into custody for unlawful conduct. Do you surrender to these terms?" he asked no one in particular, but the music did stop.

"No!" a voice replied, followed by a fit of laughter. Atsuya sighed.

"I see. Then you leave me no choice." He turned to regard his clansmen. "We will advance with sword in hand, for our cause is just."

"Men, draw your swords!" the First Lt. ordered. The proceedings were immediate.

"Otonari, ready!"

"Sasori, ready!"

"Mori, ready!"

Followed by another, "Mori, ready!"

The Second Lt. passed Genmei to the First Lt. as she drew her sword. "Saeki, ready!" She then took hold of the Strain with her free hand as the First Lt. did the same.

"Moto, ready!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a really shitty ending to the chapter and i'm sorry i have no good excuse


End file.
